Since I’m always looking for ways to shave weight off my bike (I should be equally as vigilant with myself), I jump at any chance to loose 100+ grams with a simple parts swap. On a downhill bike with a coil spring rear shock, the spring itself can weigh well over 350 grams, depending on the spring rate. I use a 450lb coil, which isn’t light by any means. The folks at Springtime were nice enough to send down one of their new Kronos titanium springs for a review.
The Kronos titanium springs have been compared to other titanium springs in all markets from motorcycles to bicycles to cars, and they have consistently out performed all their competitors. In one test, they bested their competition by 6 times. How did they get that performance?
Fatigue and stress-corrosion failures originate at the surface of a spring. Using a B-Blast Shot Peening process increases stress compression on the surface of the Kronos springs. This, in turn, reduces surface fatigue failure. B-Blast Shot Peening is beneficial in increasing resistance to fatigue failures, corrosion fatigue, and stress-corrosion cracking, meaning a much more responsive, longer-lasting, and durable Titanium spring!
In addition, Kronos utilizes a proprietary clear-coating process: Halcon Hard Coat (HHC). HHC is a semi-flexible, yet tough, coating, which resists dirt, water, salt, corrosion, and harmful UV rays, further improving the life of the Kronos springs.
Installation was a snap on my Cane Creek Double Barrel. Just remember to reset your sag before you head out. Compared to the factory coil, I noticed there are less turns of wire and more space between the coils. This is normal: simply an engineering element and not a design flaw.
After punishing the Kronos Titanium Spring on the slopes of Blue Mountain for nearly a whole riding season, not once did I have an issue with the coil. Despite pounding through very heavily rooted, rocky sections of my favorite trail, I haven’t noticed any extra sag or binding of the coil. This is a good testimonial to the fact that a Ti coil lasts and works better than a steel spring.
With a price range of $230 to $420 (US), you too can have a spring that will significantly reduce the weight and improve the performance of your mountain bike.
A big thanks to the folks at Springtime for sending down the Kronos spring for review.
